8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
“Sufferings have obtained an ill name in the world, but God’s rod and love may stand together. God teaches His people in afflictions. He teaches us to feel compassion toward others who are suffering. We are prone to be insensitive toward others who are suffering when we are at ease in Zion. He also teaches us to prize our outward mercies and comforts more, and yet to dote upon them less. We are to be more thankful for them but less ensnared by them. Next, God teaches us self-denial and obedient submission to His will. In our prosperity we are full of our own wills, and usually give God counsel as if we could tell God how it might have been better. We dispute out cross, when we should take it up. By bearing a little we learn to bear more.” Thomas Case
“The Incarnation gave the already infinitely wise and perfect Son of God the experiential acquisition of knowledge about the human condition. Suffering thus became a reality that He tasted and from it He can sympathize deeply with His followers. (The Gr. has an interesting play on words in the verbs He learned [emathen] and He suffered [epathen].)” Bible Knowledge Commentary
“Coming to Jesus for rest doesn’t shield us from afflictions. It transforms afflictions from fear-dominating, anxiety-producing, and hopeless to ‘light and momentary.’ Hoping in the God of hope makes all the difference. So, Jesus says to us, ‘Come to me.’ His shepherd’s heart toward us is filled with the same compassion, and his invitation is as urgent and tender as ever. But it is an invitation that must be accepted. Many do not.” Jon Bloom
“The sorest afflictions never appear intolerable, except when we see them in the wrong light.” Brother Lawrence
“Pride naturally runs in our veins, and it is nourished by ease and prosperity. By trouble we come to know our own heart. God seeks to develop meekness in His people by affliction, then save them from affliction.” Thomas Case
“The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“The secret formula of the saints: When I am in the cellar of affliction, I look for the Lord's choicest wines.” Samuel Rutherford
“Only in the hot furnace of affliction do we as Christians let go of the dross to which, in our foolishness, we ardently cling.” David Kingdon
“In the middle of a howling storm in the soul, in the agony of ‘a severe test of affliction’ (2 Corinthians 8:2), it is easy to grow weary, and the temptation can be strong to just give up. At that point, what we often most need is an exhortation to ‘endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ’ (2 Timothy 2:3). Because ‘by [our] endurance [we] will gain [our] lives’ (Luke 21:19).” Jon Bloom
“Afflictions work for good, as they are the means of loosening our hearts from the world. When you dig away the earth from the root of a tree, it is to loosen the tree from the earth; so God digs away our earthly comforts to loosen our hearts from the earth.” Thomas Watson
“Every affliction comes with a message from the heart of God.” Alexander Maclaren
“They who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls.” Charles Spurgeon
“Suffering lets the soul see — see the deep suffering around us, see the deep suffering within us, see the suffering Savior who deeply absorbs all suffering, and carries us Home where there is no suffering for evermore. Suffering doesn’t mean you’re cursed, suffering means you’re human. Regardless of what Instagram or all the glossy ads are shilling: All your suffering isn’t some unique anomaly, suffering is the universal experience of all humanity. The question isn’t ‘Why is there brokenness and suffering in my life?’ — but ‘Why wouldn’t there be suffering because such is life in a broken world?’ Buy the lie that your life is supposed to be heaven on earth, and suffering can be a torturous hell. But accept and expect that life is a battle, then suffering isn’t a problem but part of earth’s topography to cross on our way to heaven.” Ann Voskamp